Shoemaking



Aug. .1, 1944- A. CoczELLA vSHOEMAKING Filed May 13. y1944 Patented Aug. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE snoEMAxING -Anthony Cocozella, Lynn, Mass.

Application May 13, 1944, serial No. 535,510 1 claim. (ci. 12-142) 'I'his invention consists in an improved shoe of the platform type and includes within its scope a novel process of producing the same.

Shoes of this type are now in demand but as formerly constructed have required a great deal of special and highly skilled work which has necessarily been reflected in the cost of the nished shoes. 'I'he object ofthe present invention is to produce a shoe of the platform type having a particularly neat and attractive appearance, sturdy and reliable structure. with good wearing characteristics and to bring about this desirable result with the minimum of expense from the shoemaking standpoint. g

'Ihe shoe made by the process of my invention is characterized by a binding strip which may be of leather or of ornamental fabric, attached at one edge to, or adjacent to, the margin of the upper and also to the edge of a stiff and substantial'insole or platform sole. The' binding strip is wrapped around the outer edge of this stiff sole member and secured in place with its in-turned edge completely sealed beneath an outsole. Preferably and as herein shown the upper is lasted in stitch-down fashion with its margin turned outwardly and in this embodiment of the invention one edge of the binding strip may be secured in place by the same stitching that is used in attaching the upper to the insole. 'Ihe binding strip may then be folded upon itself and wrapped around the margin. of the insole and its free edge cemented in at condition to the under face of the insole. This involves nothing but plain straight-forward operations of shoemaking. One edge of the binding strip is smoothly and permanently secured in place by the same operation that secures the margin of the upper in place, and the binding strip may be presented -to the stitching point by a suitable guide operating against the stiff edge of the insole and so relieving the operator of any appreciable additional work.

The operation of wrapping or folding the binding strip about the stift margin of the insole may be performed olf thelast rapidly and easily, the strip being slashed wherever desired in order to facilitate shaping it smoothly to the curves of the insole. Finally the operation of cementing an outsole in place may be carried out withv out any complications whatever, the outsole being merely cemented in place over that portion of the binding strip which has been laid in flat condition upon the bottom of the insole.

I contemplate that-if desired the upper and binding strip may be secured to the insole oil.' the last by the employment of a straight needle machine and then the'last may be inserted only for the final operations in finishing the shoe. When manufactured in this manner still further economies are introduced in the productionof platform type shoes.

The process of my invention has the advantage that by employing a stiff insole or platform and sewing the upper and binding strip to this instead of to a flexible sock lining or other ilexible sole piece, the manufacturer may carry out several operations off the last which would otherwise require the presence of a last in the shoe. For example, he may smoothly and tightly wrap the binding strip around the edge of the insole or platform sole and cement it to the bottom while oil the last. 'I'his procedure also eliminates the operation of spotting a platform sole on a sock lining because the stitching positively insures accurate location of the stuff sole piece which constitutes the platform. Further, it reduces the shoemaking operations to the treatment of one stiff sole piece or platform instead 'of two pieces, viz, a flexible sock lining and Aa platform. All this is particularly advantageous because it reduces the total time during which the last must be tied up in each individual shoe.

thus cutting down the number of lasts required and improving the eiciency of the whole opera- These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following Adescription of a preferred manner of carrying out my novel process, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective, partly in section, illustrating the operation of attaching the upper and binding strip to an insole.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a portion of the'binding strip folded' about the marginal edge of the insole and the last as it is subsequently inserted in the partially formed shoe,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the foretherein and cut or died out in proper shape for an insole for the shoe to be manufactured. In the shoe herein shown the insole is shaped with a square clean-cut marginal edge. The upper I2 is completed with or without a lining as desired and cut according to the pattern in hand. The binding strip I4 to be assembled with the sole and upper may comprise a strip of kid or other light or fancy leather or a ribbon of substantially inelastic textile material.

As suggested in Fig. 1 the margin of the upper I2 is turned outwardly, one edge of the binding strip is brought into superposed relation thereon and both these layers of material are simultaneously stitched to the margin of the stiff insole I by a straight needle machine having a needle bar I6 and an edge gauge Il. At the completion of this stitching operation the margin of the upper and binding strip may if desired be trimmed flush with the edge of the insole Il), although in many instances such a trimming step may be dispensed with since'the raw edges of all the parts are to be subsequently covered by folding the binding strip over them. It will be noted that the binding strip is stitched in place wrongside outermost, with its edge registering with the edge of the upper and its body portion extending inwardly and away from the stitch-line. The line of stitching securing the superposed margins of the upper i2 and the strip I4 to the insole is gauged against the stiff edge of the insole.

The next operation in the process consists in doubling the binding strip I outwardly over its stitched margin, folding it downwardly and tightly about the edge of the insole I0 and wrapping its free edge smoothly over the bottom 4of the insole I0, as suggested in Fig. 2. In this operation it will be noted that any surplus width in the binding strip i4 is taken up in overlap upon the bottom of the insole I0 where its Width makes no differences whatever in any of the Shoemaking steps. The binding strip is worked smoothly into its `nal position about the margin of the insole Illbeing cemented to the flat under surface of the sole and thus rmly and securely united thereto. As already noted slits or slashes I9 may be formed'in the inner edge of the binding strip to facilitate smooth laying thereof.

A last 20 may be inserted in the shoe at this stage of its manufacture or, if preferred, the last may be inserted somewhat later in the opera--A tion. However, it is contemplated that at the most' convenient time a last will be forcibly inserted, the insole and upper conformed to its contour by steps regularly followed in the manufacture of stitch-down shoes.

asoma? A steel shank piece 2l may be conveniently 1ocated upon the outer face of the insole l0 and secured in place extending substantially to the ball line as indicated in Fig. 4 and thus permanently maintaining in the shoe bottom the longitudinal arch curvature of the shank.

The shoe is completed by cementing an outsole I8 in place, shaping it to thelongitudinal curvature of the shoe bottom and uniting it to the lower face of the insole I0 and to the flat inturned portion of the binding strip I4 in position completely to conceal the latter and with its marginal edge flush with the vertical walls formed by the binding strip. The outsole also, attached after the last has been inserted, completely encloses the shank piece 2l. A sock lining 22 may be inserted if desired on the surface of the insole. The relation of the parts in the finished shoe is well shown in Fig. 3. While in Fig. 4 the finished shoe is shown as being of the open toe style it will be understood that this is merely one example of a`great variety of styles in the production of which my invention may be advantageously utilized.

The sole piece I0 has been referred to as an insole since the upper is fastened to it and since it is not subjected in use to wear but it might.

aptly be termed a midsole or a platform sole. My invention, however, includes within its scope, shoes made with soles having the function of the sole I0 by Whatever name they-may be designated. y

'I'he present application is a continuation in part of, and substitute for, my application Serial No. 457,281 filed September d, 1942. l

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustration thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

The process of making platform shoes, which includes the steps of initially attaching the outturned margin of an upper and one edge oi an inelastic binding strip simultaneously by stitching to the top marginal face of a stiff, full-length insole of substantial thickness, the

upper and binding strip both extending inwardly l from the line of stitching securing them to the insole and the stitching operation being gauged against the stiff edge of the insole, then turning the binding strip and wrapping it smoothly and tightly about the edge of the sole ofi the last and inwardly over the bottom of the insole, in-

A serting a last in the partially formed shoe, and

subsequently cementing an outsole in place upon the inturned edge of the strip.

ANTHONY COCOZELLA. 

